Over the past decade, automobile traffic has become an increasingly severe problem in many cities, sometimes affecting employees' productivity and quality of life. The amount of traffic congestion that occurs on any particular road at any given time may vary dramatically on each day, due to unpredictable variables including traffic accidents or road construction. If a commuter is unaware of the traffic conditions until he has become delayed in traffic, it is then too late to plan a viable alternative route. Despite attempts to avoid traffic by altering work schedules and experimenting with different routes, commuters continue to experience intolerable traffic, often on a regular basis.
Although there are several resources that are presently available to provide drivers with traffic information, they may not effectively allow drivers to easily obtain the information in time to avoid unpredictable traffic congestion while en route. For example, traffic reports that are broadcast over local radio stations typically provide driving conditions at periodic intervals and/or only for certain major highways. As another example, computerized, overhead traffic message displays that are located on some major roads or highways may not be very useful because drivers may not be given sufficient advanced notice to divert to alternative routes. While radio traffic reports and programmable signs can provide useful information, these resources cannot be customized to provide information on demand for individual driver's commutes, and therefore may have only a limited effect.
Recently, Internet web sites have been created for providing traffic information concerning specific roadways in certain metropolitan areas. The traffic information that is provided on such web sites is retrieved from databases containing traffic information that is periodically updated at regular intervals. Traffic.com, Inc. (available at traffic.com) operates a web site for providing traffic information for several major routes in certain metropolitan areas. The web site provides color-coded maps that illustrate the traffic conditions along several major roadways in certain metropolitan areas. Using a “keyroute summary,” the web site also indicates, for several major routes, the average speed of traffic and whether there are any traffic advisories on the routes. As another example, a web site operated by The Washington Post (available at washingtonpost.com), allows a user to select or “click on” one of several roadways on a map of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and receive a short written report concerning traffic conditions for the selected roadway.
While web sites may provide traffic conditions, many drivers either do not have access to the Internet or otherwise do not wish to access the Internet from their home or office before beginning a commute. In either case, since traffic information changes constantly, the information that one obtains from a web site may no longer be accurate during the time that the user is driving. Accordingly, there is a need for systems that allow drivers to access real-time traffic information while commuting.